All her life Ashley had grown to accept whatever life threw at her.
And even now Ashley knew that had she been at a place required to marry some low-class, uneducative man with no proper source of income, even that she could have found believable...acceptable that it would happen with her.
In fact, maybe that's what she had always believed.
Either she would get married by choice to some decent person or under need to someone who might be older in age or probably some money lender whose money she could not repay.
Because the possibilities of those kind of things made more sense to her.
Ashley was used to them.
She was not used to such drastic turn in situations which appears magical to others.
Sigh.
The biggest shock in her life had always been when she learnt about the loan.
Ashley learnt from the police officers how some maternal aunt of hers, who existed all these years but did not care to even show up, had fled leaving her to repay the loan they took.
At this time, Ashley could easily put the marriage to Michael Clark as the biggest shock in her life.
Her thoughts rotated in clockwise direction and then anticlockwise before coming to stop due to the doorbell. It rang just once.
It took her breath away for a second.
Not because Ashley was startled but rather because she did not know who it could be. Till now only two people had rang her bell, the moneylenders and Skylar.
She was paranoid.
It was not the day when moneylenders would come and Skylar never stopped just at a single ring. Could it be the men of Michael again?
Her movements were graced with alertness as she opened the door.
"What took you so long, damn it? I was just seconds away from calling the police!"
A worried figure of Skylar entered her vision.
Ashley took a sigh of relief.
"What the heck? Did something happen? Why you look so scared?"
"I am fine, just tired." Ashley let out the explanation.
"You got a lot to explain! Do you even know how worried I was when I got there and couldn't find you? I was so tensed and kept on thinking what if some shit-ass dude did something to you!"
"I am fine, Skylar."
"You were not here last night, even in the morning when I checked. Where have you been?" Skylar moved past Ashley leaving her behind leaning against the closed door.
"I just- um, got wasted and had to leave early before I could get myself into some mess."
"Where did you spend the night? Don't tell me that in the house of your bitch aunt because I checked there as well."
"At a local hotel. I was too messed up to reach here and too sane to go there."
That was true.
It normally took an hour to get here from the Square Street. And as for that house, Ashley did not step there even when she was on the verge of living on streets.
"Alright, I'll buy that. But from next time, make sure to send me your live location."
Ashley sighed. It was good that Skylar was not dragging this, otherwise it could have gotten harder for her to hide.
It was not that she wanted to hide it from Skylar. Keeping the contract aside, Ashley knew that she could tell Skylar and that she wouldn't let anyone get the hint that she was aware of something.
But she decided against that.
Not because Skylar won't be happy knowing that she was about to get married but because she would not let the marriage happen if she knew it was to repay the loan.
And she did not want to worry her anymore.
Skylar belonged to a rich family.
She was the sole heir of the top news agency in the country which have its subsidies in almost all the countries of the world. They were well known people.
In the past, when she was being disturbed by the bank, it was Skylar who stepped in and paid the loan.
Though it was later on when Ashley learnt that the loan from bank was not just it.
In fact, if Ashley was able to get into one of the most reputed culinary school, it was again due to the Skylar's help. She had done a lot already.
Moreover, Ashley never felt comfortable enough to let Skylar step forward for her help everytime. That's not how she wished for their friendship to be.
Not when it was only Skylar helping her all the time.
At least in her marriage with Michael, she wouldn't get the money in exchange of nothing.
He would repay the loan and she would come to use to him in ways she did not know yet.
"Why don't you sit? I'll be right back after a shower."
"Alright, I'll set the place!"
From setting the place, Skylar meant nothing but to order good amount of food and Netflix.
By the time Ashley was out, the order had already arrived and the couches were ready with the blankets. The fairy lights were twinkling all around.
Her mood improved looking at that. "I did not know that we were up for a chilling evening." Ashley softly commented. Suddenly everything felt normal.
It was as if the last twenty-four hours did not occur.
Skylar turned around and grinned, "Oh, you know how it is! My father has been putting me into all kind of meetings lately. I am too frustrated and really need it!"
They took the place on couch, side by side and went silent.
"You did not tell me why you decided to drink out of nowhere?" Skylar stared at her with suspicion. "You didn't drink even when the theme of your 18th birthday party was 'Drinks & Drink'."
Ashley was in half mind to just go ahead and say it was because she was about to get married by the end of this month. She didn't want to marry without knowing how it felt to be drunk.
Not when Ashley had premonition that she might need drinks on several points to calm down her nerves from thar moment on.